Montpelier Plantation, Virginia Precipitation Reconstruction --------------------------------------------------------------------- World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, Boulder and NOAA Paleoclimatology Program --------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: PLEASE CITE ORIGINAL REFERENCES WHEN USING THIS DATA!!!!! CONTRIBUTORS: Druckenbrod, D., Mann, M.E., Stahle, D.W., Cleaveland, M.K., Therrell, M.D., and Shugart, H.H.. NAME OF DATA SET: Montpelier Plantation, Virginia Precipitation Reconstruction IGBP PAGES/WDCA CONTRIBUTION SERIES NUMBER: 2003-005 SUGGESTED DATA CITATION: Druckenbrod, D., et al., 2003, Montpelier Plantation, Virginia Precipitation Reconstruction, International Tree-Ring Data Bank. IGBP PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution Series #2003-005. NOAA/NGDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder CO, USA. ORIGINAL REFERENCE: Druckenbrod, D., Mann, M.E., Stahle, D.W., Cleaveland, M.K., Therrell, M.D., Shugart, H.H., 2003, Late 18th Century Precipitation Reconstructions from James Madison's Montpelier Plantation, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 84, 57-71. LAST UPDATE: 1/2003 (Original receipt by WDC Paleo) GEOGRAPHIC REGION: Virginia, USA PERIOD OF RECORD: 1784-1966 AD DESCRIPTION: Tree ring precipitation reconstruction for James Madison's Montpelier Plantation, Virginia. Included are reconstructed precipitation in cm. for early summer and prior fall, plus James Madison's rain gage and rainy day logbook data, and Virginia Climate Division 1 and 4 instrumental calibration data. Total ringwidth and latewood width data from the Montpelier National Natural Landmark Forest are also available from the International Tree Ring Data Bank at: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/treering.html ABSTRACT: As early colonialists crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to North America, they carried preconceived notions on the variation of climate with latitude. Perhaps not surprisingly, they expected to encounter the same climatic conditions at the same latitudes in the New World as they had experienced in the Old World (Kupperman 1982). While the Gulf Stream's moderating effect on the climate of Europe is now well known, the greater seasonal extremes of eastern North America frustrated early attempts to grow Mediterranean crops such as citrus trees within Virginia and were viewed as a shortcoming of an untamed continent that had not yet felt the salubrious and tempering influence of European cultivation (Kupperman 1982, 1984). Especially after the revolution of 1776, the capacity of North America to support a vigorous and prosperous society represented an important component of success for this political experiment (Chinard 1947). However, in the late eighteenth century, European scientists espoused a hypothesis claiming that the climate of North America was inherently inferior and deleterious, and would remain so despite any efforts to improve it through habitation (Chinard 1947). Both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison recognized that this hypothesis had to be refuted for this nation to be viewed as a peer to those in Europe. This study presents their scientific endeavors to demonstrate that the climate of North America was not inferior to that of Europe. Comparing meteorological diary data collected by Madison and dendroclimatic reconstructions from Montpelier, this study is also able to investigate new hypotheses regarding the seasonality of precipitation since the late eighteenth century. The focus is not centered as intently on the validity of these methods, as both diary and tree-ring data have demonstrated efficacy in the reconstruction of climate (Bradley and Jones 1995), but rather on the combined use of these independent sources to characterize the climate of Madison's era and contrast it with that of the midtwentieth century. DATA: 1. Early Summer Anomalies Year Reconstruction(cm) VA Div.1&4 Jun avg(cm) May Gauge(cm) May Rainy Days 1784 0.0137 4.2353 1785 1.0017 2.2353 1786 -0.841 5.2353 1787 3.2678 1.2353 1788 1.4487 6.2353 1789 -0.0882 2.2353 1790 -0.8567 -2.7647 1791 0.0843 -1.7647 1792 -2.9346 -4.7647 1793 0.4215 0.2353 1794 0.0372 1.7458 -0.7647 1795 -0.5979 -3.7311 -0.7647 1796 2.2406 6.9845 -0.7647 1797 -0.5979 1798 -0.9351 -6.4298 -3.7647 1799 -0.5038 -1.426 -3.7647 1800 1.0409 4.5239 -0.7647 1801 -0.1274 -1.6673 -1.7647 1802 2.0289 1803 -1.1076 1804 -0.1902 1805 0.8214 1806 -3.0444 1807 -2.5896 1808 0.8135 1809 3.0248 1810 0.0765 1811 0.7743 1812 -1.8055 1813 -0.3156 1814 1.7623 1815 -2.0877 1816 -1.7114 1817 2.5465 1818 -0.0255 1819 -1.4761 1820 2.0603 1821 -0.5744 1822 -0.3391 1823 -0.6998 1824 3.5658 1825 1.0723 1826 -2.0485 1827 -0.3548 1828 -0.6685 1829 -2.3465 1830 1.0174 1831 -2.0956 1832 1.7466 1833 -1.8917 1834 0.8057 1835 1.6996 1836 -1.0527 1837 0.9155 1838 -0.7782 1839 -0.2999 1840 0.1 1841 -2.221 1842 0.8684 1843 -0.6606 1844 -0.0412 1845 -2.4014 1846 0.6175 1847 1.8094 1848 -1.1154 1849 -1.0841 1850 1.6761 1851 -0.7782 1852 -0.3862 1853 1.2683 1854 -2.5504 1855 0.8292 1856 -2.323 1857 -0.3548 1858 -2.174 1859 -0.6528 1860 -2.4171 1861 -1.0056 1862 1.2918 1863 -1.2644 1864 -1.8603 1865 0.4607 1866 1.1507 1867 1.4879 1868 0.7743 1869 1.9348 1870 0.8841 1871 1.3075 1872 0.0608 1873 -0.3548 1874 -2.2446 1875 -0.7547 1876 -0.841 1877 -0.5508 1878 1.6996 1879 -0.4097 1880 -2.8327 1881 -0.4332 1882 -0.2058 1883 -0.888 1884 2.1701 1885 -2.0799 1886 1.4722 1887 -1.0997 1888 0.4999 1889 3.7932 1890 -0.0961 1891 1.7466 1892 1.0645 1893 -0.3391 1894 -2.6053 1895 1.1037 1896 -0.99 1897 -0.1196 1898 -1.3899 1899 -0.2921 1900 -1.7819 1901 0.4528 1902 0.8527 1903 -0.0647 1904 0.1 1905 -0.2607 1906 -1.4212 1907 0.1078 1908 1.6604 1909 -0.1588 1910 2.2093 1911 -3.6638 1912 0.1313 1913 1.088 1914 -0.5116 1915 2.9307 1916 0.8135 1917 1.7702 1918 -3.3502 1919 -0.3078 1920 0.8057 1921 -1.4918 1922 -1.6408 1923 -0.9821 1924 1.237 1925 -2.1662 1926 0.9704 1927 0.4372 1928 0.9312 1929 2.1465 1930 0.1235 1931 1.1821 -1.2199 1932 -1.8368 -0.7754 1933 -1.4918 -4.4584 1934 -0.4646 -1.6771 1935 1.1899 -1.4231 1936 -2.2759 -0.4452 1937 3.0169 4.2792 1938 2.0132 3.2251 1939 -0.4097 2.6536 1940 -1.5781 -2.0581 1941 2.7895 0.6724 1942 -0.1431 0.4819 1943 -1.186 -0.5849 1944 -2.9738 -4.433 1945 3.95 2.6155 1946 1.2056 -0.2039 1947 -1.1546 2.0059 1948 -1.2879 0.3168 1949 -0.4097 0.4819 1950 -1.2095 -2.4772 1951 3.903 6.362 1952 1.2918 -2.2613 1953 0.1627 -1.2199 1954 -2.472 -5.3855 1955 0.5234 1.282 1956 -0.3391 -2.3502 1957 0.0686 -0.1912 1958 2.7582 2.7425 1959 -2.025 -0.8897 1960 -0.049 -1.6898 1961 1.0488 3.6061 1962 -1.2722 2.7044 1963 0.7978 7.8098 1964 -2.0956 -3.6456 1965 1.0331 -1.385 1966 -2.2602 -2.4645 2. Prior Fall Anomalies Year Reconstruction(cm) VA Div.1&4 Sep av.(cm) Jun&Jul Gauge(cm) Jun&Jul Rainy Days 1784 1.8747 1.2188 1785 -3.0902 2.7188 1786 2.3542 1.7188 1787 0.3309 0.7188 1788 -3.7733 2.2188 1789 -2.1759 -2.7813 1790 -4.062 -1.7813 1791 -3.1579 -1.7813 1792 4.8129 1.2188 1793 4.137 -0.2813 1794 2.9024 4.0834 2.2188 1795 2.3018 2.1123 -0.7813 1796 -3.4383 1797 0.3314 1798 -2.1413 -1.6977 -0.2813 1799 -1.9594 -5.3093 -1.2813 1800 1.2036 3.3823 -1.7813 1801 1.0793 -2.5709 -1.2813 1802 -0.9651 1803 -0.7424 1804 3.6896 1805 -5.7894 1806 0.4673 1807 0.8659 1808 2.8498 1809 2.7359 1810 2.0458 1811 -0.8279 1812 0.6371 1813 0.4027 1814 -2.5809 1815 2.7916 1816 1.393 1817 -1.4586 1818 2.4583 1819 -0.2702 1820 2.7474 1821 -1.8621 1822 -0.8497 1823 2.4187 1824 -1.1339 1825 -0.7748 1826 0.4899 1827 -2.8627 1828 -2.7193 1829 1.2922 1830 1.3047 1831 4.9666 1832 0.8463 1833 2.5396 1834 1.2583 1835 -1.1793 1836 0.3786 1837 -2.8768 1838 -3.3738 1839 3.5025 1840 -3.0298 1841 0.3199 1842 -2.2508 1843 1.557 1844 1.3656 1845 1.1989 1846 6.7283 1847 -0.8397 1848 2.0871 1849 0.5654 1850 -3.8353 1851 -2.1789 1852 1.0768 1853 -1.8185 1854 3.3431 1855 -4.312 1856 1.301 1857 -0.4274 1858 -0.4961 1859 -1.0378 1860 2.0498 1861 2.0646 1862 -0.6692 1863 -0.2082 1864 2.1584 1865 5.9068 1866 1.5104 1867 -0.0555 1868 -1.9504 1869 -3.8017 1870 -1.3197 1871 -2.1006 1872 -3.7126 1873 -2.5799 1874 2.9034 1875 0.0802 1876 0.1225 1877 4.613 1878 0.2249 1879 -3.4609 1880 -1.4634 1881 -1.745 1882 1.4223 1883 3.6147 1884 -1.7109 1885 4.1205 1886 -2.3808 1887 0.1674 1888 4.6439 1889 -3.095 1890 0.3585 1891 -0.7873 1892 -4.4427 1893 -0.5721 1894 -2.7414 1895 -0.376 1896 -1.0599 1897 0.3417 1898 2.5834 1899 1.5239 1900 -1.6608 1901 1.1605 1902 1.5645 1903 1.7699 1904 -1.8258 1905 -2.5483 1906 0.0593 1907 1.5166 1908 0.5255 1909 3.0983 1910 -5.2103 1911 0.6048 1912 2.5967 1913 -2.4214 1914 6.4189 1915 1.382 1916 0.2773 1917 -4.8068 1918 -2.3268 1919 -2.6215 1920 -3.3736 1921 2.4004 1922 3.0376 1923 3.4953 1924 -0.6634 1925 2.2657 1926 2.7189 1927 1.713 1928 -0.7647 1929 -2.7351 1930 -3.1474 1931 -2.9438 -1.0712 1932 -4.0372 -5.2368 1933 1.3238 -1.6427 1934 2.7362 9.8635 1935 2.6772 7.8569 1936 5.5188 -2.4428 1937 1.7724 -1.5411 1938 -0.8442 4.3009 1939 -1.8837 -5.9607 1940 -1.7199 -3.0397 1941 -1.9371 -6.9005 1942 -2.4023 1.3291 1943 -0.2454 -2.3666 1944 5.5276 7.0314 1945 2.5591 6.7393 1946 -0.2128 -0.5632 1947 0.3706 1.7228 1948 -2.6506 -0.9188 1949 -2.9109 -1.3379 1950 0.7871 4.1739 1951 -1.0689 -5.2749 1952 0.177 -0.3219 1953 -1.7453 -0.4362 1954 -3.0104 -5.1987 1955 1.0502 0.7449 1956 -1.7468 2.1165 1957 4.5694 2.5737 1958 -0.045 -5.7321 1959 -0.4926 -1.4268 1960 1.3805 5.6217 1961 -3.3455 -3.8017 1962 0.6743 -0.741 1963 -0.0962 0.8465 1964 1.5206 4.4533 1965 0.6938 -3.4207